Herb Porch Garden

I finally got around to setting up some window box planters on our porch. The two 24″ boxes are each divided in half for the following herbs: French thyme, chives, dwarf basil, and one reserved section. In terms of use, I think flat leaf parsley makes the most sense for the reserved section. However, it tends to get so big I’m not sure it will work well in these tiny boxes. I would absolutely love to include lemon verbena into the mix but that just gets huge. It is still pretty early in the season so I’ll decide on the last section in a couple of weeks.

For these boxes, I’m trying a “semi-hydroponics” planting method. I’m not sure if it will work but I’ve places some large lava rock in the bottom of the planters which is covered by some nice potting soil. I drilled the drain holes on the sides of the planters about an inch above the bottom. This setup should yield about an inch of standing water in the planters. Hopefully, any roots that grow into the water will be able to withstand being submerged. My reason to do this was to try and limit the need for frequent watering and to reduce the inevitable spillover that happens whenever watering a little too much (and the drip tray can’t hold the water).

I also planted alpine strawberries in a 14″ round pot (not shown in the pictures). I used traditional potting methods for them. I’m really excited about growing these as the intensity of flavor is so much better than the convention strawberries here in the States.

eGoh (Eric Goh) - Technology entrepreneur, product management professional, fountain of esoteric knowledge. Currently located in Austin, TX but New York, Boston, and San Francisco will always have a place in his heart.